


recovery

by daniadaniadania



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Sappy Ending, tiny blood mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-18 04:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14204718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daniadaniadania/pseuds/daniadaniadania
Summary: breakfast in bed gone wrong





	recovery

**Author's Note:**

> this technically takes place after my fic "dominate person" but it can be understood and read without reading that one first.

Most people would be surprised to find out that Taako was, in fact, a morning person. Something about his large sense of theatrics gives the impression that he rather be nursing a cup of coffee under a large duvet blanket than getting a productive start to his day. And while, yes, coffee in bed was a guilty pleasure of his, Taako was usually up before Kravitz, preparing breakfast for the both of them.

Kravitz had plans to change that today. He snuck out of bed before Taako’s normal alarm, giving the elf a gentle hug before quietly making his way to the kitchen.

Lucky for him, the coffee maker was already programmed because: learning to cook _and_ make coffee? That’s a lot of brain power before sunrise.

He whispered the spell written on a Scroll of Silence he’d picked up from Garfield and got to work.

Frying pans. A carton of eggs. Some flour and sugar. A shining silver breakfast tray. Fresh oranges to squeeze. Cutlery, of course. Can’t forget maple syrup. And finishing touch: a small daffodil in an equally small vase.

Kravitz spent a moment organizing the tray to his aesthetic approval, putting off the actual cooking for as long as possible. It had just been so long since he had to cook for himself. But Taako often teased him for his clumsiness in the kitchen and so, Kravitz was determined to prove him wrong.

 

-

 

The diffused morning light began to seep through the kitchen windows as Kravitz plated the pancakes, fried eggs, and sliced fruit. He smiled. All he wanted was to make his husband happy.

He took the overcrowded tray in one hand, careful to find the correct point of balance, and made his way up the staircase to the master bedroom.

He pushed the door open slowly. It creaked loudly, causing Taako to stir slightly in his sleep. Kravitz chastised himself for not just using a portal in the first place. He guessed that waking up this early had scrambled his brain more than he thought it would.

He drew his scythe with his free hand, not wanting to risk the door creaking again, and sliced a small portal from the hallway to the space next to Taako’s side of the bed.

Kravitz took a moment to enjoy the relaxed planes of Taako’s sleeping face. The elf looked so young and carefree when he was asleep. None of the usual theatrics painted his face and Kravitz indulged in the chance to appreciate who Taako was beneath his masks.

He smiled involuntarily, so grateful for the way his life (and undeath) had turned out.

“Good morning, love.”

 

-

 

Taako loved to sleep. Normally, he even loved to dream. Tonight was an exception though. His lighthearted fantasy adventure had taken a dark turn, tormented by images of his family in pain. He saw Lup, captive by some bandits from an early cycle, begging him to save her. He saw Angus, small and crumpled after a case gone wrong, bleeding out alone in an alley. He saw Magnus, brave Magnus, stepping in front of a blow meant for Merle and hitting the ground hard.

He saw Kravitz. Broken leg, bloody ankle, mangled chest, and bleeding profusely from his left hand. He saw this specific vision in each and every nightmare he had for the past month.

In conversations, Taako assured Kravitz that, no, of course I don’t feel guilty, yes, honey, I know that I did what I had to. But his subconscious mind never seemed to tire of making him blame himself.

And so, he pressed on with his days with a smile on his face, leaning on the routine of ordinary life to help him feel whole and valuable again. Most nights he wasn’t able to sleep at all, dragged into a spiral of panic, fear, and remorse. On the rare occasion that he did drift off, he was often involuntarily torn awake by night terrors. And, no, Krav, ’m fine, it was jus’ a dream, don’t worry about me, oh shit, I was crying?, ‘m sorry I woke you up.

Taako had his little script to follow and it worked for him.

So when he felt himself falling asleep last night, there was nothing he could do but be grateful for the chance to rest.

And when he woke up to the dim outline of a scythe, the vision of black rippling cloaks, and the smell of ozone, who could blame him for being terrified?

A small corner of his mind told him to calm down, it’s just Kravitz, it’s not that day in the grassy clearing again. But instinctual reactions are far stronger than logical ones and Taako was already blasting the reaper away before he could stop himself.

“Shit!” Taako scrambled out of bed, feet getting caught in the blankets, and stumbled over to Kravitz.

Kravitz. Just Kravitz, his husband. With his usual apologetic look in his eyes. Covered in… coffee? And sliced fruit?

“Shit, Kr—”

“It’s okay, love.” Kravitz held his hands out, palms up. He had a small reassuring smile on his face, the same one he had every other time Taako woke up from a bad dream. And, as always, that resigned look in his eyes, like he had anticipated that his very appearance might always terrify Taako. He spoke low and even. “You’re okay.”

“Fuck! Were you bringin’ me breakfast in bed? Shit, fuck, I really jacked up that one, huh?” Taako rushed to his feet, filling the uncomfortable air with throwaway words, and offered his hand to help Kravitz up.

“Hey, no, it’s fine.” Kravitz took his hand and let Taako pull him into an embrace. “I’m so sorry I scared you. I shouldn’t have had my scythe out. It was completely my fault, dear.”

“‘S my fault,” Taako mumbled into Kravitz’s chest. “Shouldn’ be scared of you.”

“Plea—you’re bleeding!” Kravitz swept Taako off his feet and moved him quickly to the bed. “I’m sorry, the water glass or vase must have shattered.” Taako looked down and saw that his feet were in fact bleeding.

“Huh.”

One particularly large shard of glass was sticking out of the ball of Taako’s foot and he pinched it with two long nails and ripped it out.

“Ouch.” He deadpanned, then licked a drop of blood off his fingertip.

Kravitz was staring dumbfounded at Taako. He chuckled a little. “Can I be honest with you? This romantic gesture is… not going the way I thought it would.” He flashed a guilty smile at Taako.

“Expect the unexpected with your boy, Taako—’m always tellin you that, never boring, this guy right here.” Taako found himself grinning too, secretly thankful that they were joking with each other again. He and Kravitz both had a habit of pulling away when they blamed themselves for a situation gone awry but this morning was different. They pulled together instead.

And hey, maybe getting to smile and laugh with each other in the warm morning light? Maybe that meant more to Taako than breakfast in bed.

“Homie, I hope you have leftovers downstairs cuz I’m not missin’ out on the one day a year you decide to cook.”

But Taako wasn’t going to admit that so easily.

**Author's Note:**

> just a lil snapshot of recovery in the life of the boys. thanks for reading as always!


End file.
